After coming up with their bold/edgy collection, Pixy recently released their lip creams in nude shades. I’m lucky enough to get to try out ALL six shades and I’m going to share with you guys today. I hope you’re as excited as I am for this collection because, spoiler alert, I think they’re the best Pixy has ever come up with!

As usual Pixy’s PR packaging is always dashing. If you remember my post about Pixy bold/edgy collection, they gave out the lip creams in a beautiful black box tied with a pink ribbon. This time, they stepped up their game! I know it’s sort of unnecessary to go on and on about PR packages because essentially that’s not what the public is going to get when they’re buying these lip creams, but I just admire how much effort they made to make sure that each package looks nice and pretty.

For the actual lip cream packaging, they still have the usual black tube with the pink top thing. I don’t know why they haven’t changed it…I mean it’s clearly not working. The pink top is always sort of misleading, so why it’s there, I’m not sure, but let’s put that aside for a minute and bask in the glory of their fabulous range of shades.

Shade Range

While the bold/edgy collection is very limited in terms of shade, this time Pixy is not playing around. They are playing the nudes card—which is on trend again thanks to Kim K—but they’re not playing it safe and I love it. As you can see they have quite the range, although not necessarily enough to cater to everyone’s skin tone, it’s definitely more than what some brands are coming up with. However, on second thought, maybe they should’ve called it the Pixy Natural Lip Cream collection instead of nude. I imagine a “nude” shade for me would be kind of the one that would make my lips to be of similar shade and tone with my skin, but these are just MLBB kind of shades. Which isn’t bad, mind you, I love that kind of shades for everyday use.

One unique thing I notice is that two of the shades, Glam Coral and Vintage Rose have a slight hint of shimmer in them, as you can kind of see on the swatch. So when they’re applied on the lips they give off a semi-metallic kind of sheen, which again, is kind of on trend right now. Unfortunately, both of those shades aren’t suited for me. In fact, there are only two shades that I truly love and will definitely wear from this collection, and they are Sweet Choco and Gaudy Orange. Both of those shades and Mild Peach are on the somewhat warmer spectrum of the collection, while Vintage Rose and Delicate Pink fall on the cooler side, leaving Glam Coral on the neutral side.

Formula

I’ve learned my lesson and now will never wear matte liquid lip without moisturizing my lips beforehand ever again. I’ve also learned to apply them carefully, sometimes not fully swiping the applicator across the lips, but dabbing the color instead. Combine those two, and you’ll get perfect application each time. Sweet Choco—my favorite of the bunch—can be somewhat patchy if you apply it thick right off the bat. And all of these Pixy nude lip creams have this sort of formula that lifts up and disappears when you press your lips together before they’re completely dry. So dabbing the color is my favorite method and guarantee even and long lasting color each time. Of course, they’ll fade throughout the day, but thanks to my favorite lip balm, the color fades into a pretty tint instead of crumbling around the inside rim of my dry lips.

That’s it for today, folks! If you’re still not sure, I’d say definitely go out and try them. Try out Sweet Choco if you’re not sure what shade to get. They’re not expensive and the shades are super pretty. I can’t wait to see if they’re going to release another collection. Maybe a red collection next? Or a pink one? With different formulas in each collection?? I’m sure I’ll be excited to try. So, what do you think about this collection? Do you think Pixy is a brand to look out for? And more importantly, have you guys left the matte liquid lip band wagon, and jumped on the glossy band wagon?

Anyway. Thank you so much to Pixy for sending me another beautiful gift and thank YOU so much for tuning back in and I really hope my review is informative and helpful. See you again in my next post!

Highlighters are one of the makeup trends that I wasn’t really too keen on. Sometimes they look too much, and on my oily skin they make my face look dirty at the end of the day. But I have to say that when done properly in the right amount, they make you look glowy and ethereal and sometimes I even like to layer them to make my cheekbones a bit more poppin’.

I love my Sundipped Glowkit from ABH especially the ‘Summer’ shade, but that could go too overboard at times. I found that for me powder highlighters are particularly a bit harder to navigate, especially the ones that have some intense sparkle like the Anastasia Glowkit ones. So I’ve been dabbling into cream highlighters to get a more controlled glow. The two that I’ve tried and love are City Color’s Illuminating Cream and L.A Girl’s Velvet Contour Stick in ‘Radiance’. They come in different texture and finish, and I love them for different reasons. Here’s why.

City Color’s Glowing
Complexion Illuminating Cream (long name) is a one-shade-fits-all type of
cream highlighter. When you swatch it on your hand, it looks a bit pearly
pink-ish with visible sparkles. Not too much, but enough to make your
cheekbones beaming to the next century. I love it when I want my highlighter to
look a little bit next level, and sometimes I even layer powder highlights on
top of it (shocking!). I recommend taking this product a tiiiiny bit on your
finger (this illuminating cream packs a lot of punch) and dab it on the tops of
your cheekbones and along the bones around your eyes all the way to your brow bone
(that ‘C’ shape all those beauty gurus are talking about, ya know?). Make sure
to blend well to avoid the stripy highlights look. Don’t worry, the Glowing
Complexion Illuminating Cream won’t blend away, instead it will give you a
healthy shine and glow.

Staying power is pretty nice but if you have oily skin, it
might won’t stay as long. I recommend layering it with a powder highlighter to ‘set’
it and stretch the staying power. But for day to day basis, I can still see my
highlighter at the end of the day, and it looks even more natural once I got my
grease on (gross? Lol ok). The problem is when you accidentally put on too much
at the get go, this one’s pretty hard to wipe away. So start small and build
your way up. Putting in on the back of your hand helps too, so you get a more
controlled application. All in all, I love this one and I read somewhere on
Pinterest that this is a dupe for MAC Strobe Cream. I never tried that one and I
doubt I ever will, but it’s nice to know since it’s really popular and looks
nice on Allana Davison (it’s her favorite to mix in with foundation).

Before I tried the City Color Illuminating Cream, I’ve dabbled in to the world of cream highlighters and tried the L.A. Girl Velvet Contour Stick in ‘Radiance’ which you know is my favorite for no makeup makeup days. They’re called contour stick but that range actually carries blushes and highlighters too, not just contour products. They are cream products in a stick with their shades on the packaging so you know what’s what. The only downside is that since L.A. Girl is on the more affordable end of the makeup spectrum, the quality of the packaging is not the best so the writings will eventually come off and you no longer know what’s what. But this one in ‘Radiance’ (I double-checked) is really pretty on the skin and if you are longing for that healthy, subtle, barely-there type of highlight, this one is your girl.

That being said, this one is not the best if you think you can just swipe it on the cheeks and head out the door. No, no. You need to be careful doing that because it can (and will—have, rather) mess up your base a bit, moving your foundation around and whatnot. Especially if you’ve powdered and then decide to apply this on—do not do that. Better scratch that plan. What you wanna do is rub it on your fingers, load it up there and then apply to the cheeks and the whole ‘C’ area business with said fingers. Tap, tap, tap, and dab, dab, dab. It will look as natural as the glow you get after a workout (or so people say, I don’t do workout all that much and when I do I don’t get that glow I get really hot and bothered). It look so subtle and so healthy, but you can build it up and make your cheeks look almost wet if you so desire. This is a pretty ‘safe’ product and you can also reapply if you feel your glow has dimmed a bit after a long day.

Have you tried these beauties before? How do you like them? I prefer them to my Anastasia Glowkit Highlighters these days especially for work (don’t wanna accidentally blind my coworkers with my glowing cheekbones, y’all). Before you go, let me know your favorite cream highlighters in the comments!

Having a minimal wardrobe means you have to get creative. Because you have a limited collection of clothing, you need to have pieces that work together interchangeably. Everything in your closet should work with each other so you don’t have to constantly think of what combination of clothing your wear next. Repeating outfits must not be seen as a sin and a sign of boredom, but instead a way of cementing your overall signature style. Of course there are a lot of things you can do to spice up your daily ‘uniform’, and one of those is to add jewelry and accessories to your otherwise ‘plain’ outfit.

For example, I wore this simple Uniqlo grey tee and jeans outfit, but to make it a little bit more interesting I added this beautiful bag with beautiful embroidery that my best friend got me from Aceh. I think the contrast between the basicness of the t shirt and the intricacy of the embroidery made such a beautiful sort of juxtaposition. I love the colors on the bag by the way, it’s not too warm but it’s also not too cool, it has yellow embroidery on top of a dark blue background, and somehow that blends really easily with my overall cool-toned outfit. This bag also have a nice size to store your essentials, like your phone, wallet, and of course some makeup to touch up. I had on the L.A Girl Matte Pigment Gloss in the shade ‘Fleur’ that I got from the JakartaxBeauty event mixed with Pixy Lip Cream in ‘Bold Maroon’ and I made sure to pack those babies up with me that day.

For me personally, one of the basic pieces you need to have in your minimalist wardrobe is a pair of classic, black shoes. Now there are a lot of styles to choose from, and my heart has fallen for these beautiful ankle strap sandals that I got from Payless. They are very simple and dainty and beautiful, they had been on my wishlist to complete my minimalist wardrobe for a loooong time. They look good with anything and everything, they are comfortable to walk in (because of the chunky heels) and they can spice up your simple, casual outfit and make it a lot more chic. Another option for you is to don a pair of basic pumps with higher heels. High heels paired with some jeans that are cut right above the ankles will guarantee you longer looking legs, instantly! It’s my favorite trick to add heights, especially if you’re short like me (I’m around 5ft-ish, by the way).

But to be honest, the easiest way to spice up even the dullest, most boring outfit is to add jewelries. I love rings and statement earrings at the moment. The way those fancy pieces combined with plain t shirt somehow has a cool girl type of vibe (that I’m dying to pull off, lol). I put on some gold statement earrings. They looked like looped gold tubes which is kind of different but cool at the same time. I'm not normally a bracelet kind of gal, I used to be, but not anymore these days. But this gold bar adjustable bracelet is so dainty that I can justify wearing. It's supposed to be a palm bracelet, but I put it on my wrist because palm bracelets are just kind of annoying, no? I also layered some rings, a simple gold one with a red stone on top and two gemstone bar rings. And don't forget my trusty Fossil watch and my battered DIYed hair tie.

What’s your go-to outfit and how do you style them to avoid the minimalists’ boredom? Let me know in the comments!

Recently I went to the JakartaxBeauty event and within their very generous beauty goodie bag I got a small size of the Pixy Bright Fix BB Cream. I have been using Flormar’s White BB Cream religiously for daily use and I prefer it over foundation for every day, because of its light texture and coverage. But to be honest, I was a bit bugged by its horrible scent although its overall performance was great and possibly the best I’ve tried so far. So I decided to give the Pixy one a go. I mean, I got it for free so there’s virtually no downside to it, right?

Except when I regretfully overlooked the ‘brightening’ properties it carries. Maybe it’s the shade, I think it’s way too light for me. I got it in the Cream shade, and it’s probably two or three shades lighter than my skin tone. And I thought, well, it’s BB cream, just blend the heck out of it and it’ll eventually sink in to the skin. Boy, was I wrong. It spreads alright but after about two hours it started to…separate??? Like it doesn’t become one with my skin, it just kind of sits on top of it. Apparently it also doesn’t control oil, even though it says on the packaging that it has a Smart-Lock Powder formula. Weirdly enough, it then sort of clings on to some dry patches I didn’t even know I have. Literally a couple of hours after I put it on, I kind of wanted to take it right off…

Wow, okay. Let’s take the negativity down a notch. This BB Cream might not work for me but it’s definitely not the worst product out there. First of all, it has SPF30 which is nice to have if you use BB creams daily. Also another thing worth to notice, is its lovely scent. I wish this was how my Flormar BB Cream smelled because if it was then it would be perfect. The scent is not too strong and it doesn’t linger, but it’s a nice treat to enjoy while putting on your makeup. It also has a nice coverage (note: for a BB cream, you know) and it really does its brightening job, if I’m willing to put aside my shade match issues with it. At the end of the day you don’t get a muddy, ‘dirty’ look where your base has oxidized and/or left your skin completely. Maybe if I got the right shade…I don’t know, I don’t really want to find out.

Final verdict: to be honest I wouldn't recommend this product, even if it is really affordable. I'd suggest you to skip this, save up some money and get the Flormar or L'oreal one. They are seriously worth the price and easy to find.

Have you tried this BB cream before? If so, how do you like it? Let me know in the comments!

Last Saturday was pretty special because I got to experience Female Daily Network’s JakartaxBeauty event at Senayan City, Jakarta. I had never been to that sort of event before so I got really excited. There were makeup classes and workshops and talkshows and meet and greets with lots of lovely beauty influencers, but I went there mostly to, well, as much as I’m kind of embarrassed to admit it, buy lots of makeup! :D

Like the nerd that I am, I made a list of the things that I wanted to get at the event. I saw on Female Daily Network’s Instagram page that there would be two of my favorite online makeup stores, TWLCosmetics and BeautyHaul Indo, at the event. If you’re not familiar with them, they are online makeup stores that sell branded makeup that you can’t usually get in Indonesia. And of course I got to visit The Bath Box’s booth at the event. They had 10% off of everything for their Instagram followers and coincidentally I ran out of some of my essential skincare products so I made sure that I snatch them up there!

Upon arrival I received a really cute goodie bag with exciting products inside. I was particularly excited to try Skin Aqua’s UV protection skincare products that they included inside the bag. I also got a black eyeliner pencil from ZOYA which is sooo creamy and pigmented I couldn’t wait to try. Another one that excites me is the Pixy BB Cream sample that they included in the bag. I've been trying to find the perfect BB Cream for everyday so maybe this is the one. I really appreciate how they're extremely generous with their gifts, because along with these precious products they also put in some vouchers and discount codes for numerous brands!

Now on to some products that I purchased. I wanted to share with you the things that I bought at the event, although it won’t be an elaborated full-on review because I haven’t truly tried them all. I’m just so excited to share with you my experience so without further ado, let’s get right into it!

L.A. GIRL

I have tried their famous HD Pro Concealer before but didn’t get the right shade so this time I made sure that I pick and choose the one that really suit me. I got the shade creamy beige for under my eyes and the purple corrector one to brighten up my complexion. This would be my first time trying out color correcting product, so I’m really thrilled to find out what it’s all about! I also got their Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss in the shade Fleur which is my bestfriend's favorite shade so I want to see if it suits me as well.

TWL COSMETICS

I stalk their website daily (oops) so I just copied everything on my wishlist to my shopping list to make sure that I don’t miss anything out. I got the eyeshadow palette of my dreams, The Balm Meet Matt(e) Trimony! I have been dreaming about that all-matte, creamy eyeshadows for a looong time so I’ll be playing with them to see if they truly live up to the hype. I also got a cream eyeliner from Wet n Wild. The pigmentation is amazing and it dries down to a soft matte finish. Then I picked up Milani’s Brow Shaping Clear Gel that I’ve heard so many great things about. Talking about great things, I finally got my hands on the Wet n Wild Setting Spray! Loads of beauty vloggers raved about it so of course I gotta have it. With my purchase I got a little gift which was the Milani lipstick in a gorgeous deep berry shade.

BEAUTYHAUL INDO

BeautyHaul Indo’s booth was PACKED to the brim last Saturday! I was very grateful that I had my shopping list because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t know what to get because everything looked so pretty. I bought a cream highlighter from City Color that is apparently a dupe for MAC Strobe cream (or so Pinterest says). I also got two beauty tools, one is a complexion sponge and the other is a setting brush from Real Techniques to step up my makeup application game. I also got a new eyeshadow primer from Wet n Wild which is their Photofocus Eyeshadow Primer. I love its almost gel-like consistency, so much better than their silicon-y Take on the Day Primer. With my purchase I got a free brush that I got to pick myself. I picked the crease brush from Dorothic I tried it out when I got home, and I have to say it’s not really that impressive…but I’ll play with it a bit more to see if my mind would change.

THE BATH BOX

Last but certainly not least is of course the skincare brand of my dreams, The Bath Box. I only got a couple of things because I had placed an order on their website a few days before the event to take advantage of the 30% off of all Fresh Cooked products. I ordered the Scary Face Cleanser and the Ros&Mary Shampoo. With that purchase I got a free sample of the Ros&Mary Conditioner. So at the event I only got two products left on my shopping list to buy, which were the Rapeseed Foaming Cleanser and the Rapeseed Serum (which is my favorite, you’ll see why here!). I got another free All-purpose Shea Butter and a cute card and also, with my online order, I got a really sweet hand-written note…seriously, can this brand be more amazing?!

So that’s everything I got from the JakartaxBeauty event! All in all, it was a great experience. The venue could be a bit more spacious (maybe they didn’t expect that many people would come?) but it was pleasantly air-conditioned (at least when I got there at about 10 am which was when the gate had just opened). The brands that participated were amazing, the talkshows are actually interesting and I was kind of bummed that I didn’t go to the workshops/makeup classes, but I heard they were all amazing, well-planned and well-executed classes. My only faff with the event was when I wasn’t able to pay with my debit card at some booths, so make sure you come prepared with lots of cash if you plan to shop a lot on events like this (also if you want to save some money, make sure you compare prices because sadly, sometimes some tenants would mark up their prices). Can’t wait for next year’s JakartaxBeauty and many other Female Daily’s events in the future!

After a few weeks off this blog and away on an adventurous vacation with my boyfriend, I'm finally back on the swing of things (get it? Get it?? Lol oh well)! I know it's only March and it's not a typical vacation season (but isn't it Spring Break now??? I don't know, let me know!) but my boyfriend and I couldn't wait any moment longer for our beach getaway! We went to Derawan and the surrounding islands in East Kalimantan last week. We spent hours on a tiny motor boat, island-hopping all day long looking for perfect snorkeling spots, swimming with stingless jellyfishes in Kakaban Lake and braving the open sea with friendly dolphins! I plan on writing a travel diary (tell me if you fancy one!) but for now I'm gonna share with you what makeup products I packed with me.

Wearing makeup on vacation was the kind of thing that just never crossed my mind. It's already hot and humid, and we were going to go swimming in the sea anyway, why would I want to pile up some makeup on my face on top of that? But then after the trip was over and I saw the pictures I always thought, "I wish I had filled in my eyebrows a little bit" or "Maybe if I had some lipstick on, I wouldn't look so washed out and tired". So this time I decided to put a little bit more thought on packing some essential products to achieve a light-weight, barely-there, vacation-appropriate makeup!

First of all I love to fill in my brows for a little it of definition with the L.A Girl Brow Kit. Next I went with Flormar's 7+ White Cream BB that just evens out your complexions without feeling sticky and heavy (important) and has UV protection (even more important). I set it with Fit Me Matte + Poreless from Maybelline, even though I knew that it wouldn't be long before my face started to get greasy again. I also love to put some cream highlighter on my face to emphasize the glow from the sun hitting my gloriously sweaty face on the tops of my cheekbones. My favorite one to use is from the L.A Girl Velvet Contour Stick in the shade Radiance. For blushes, I used a lip and cheek cream from Rollover Reaction in the shade Sally, just to give a bit of a fresh, healthy flush of color to my already sun-burnt face. Lastly I slapped on another shade of the lip and cheek cream from Rollover Reaction, this time in Saddie, on the lips so they don't look pale and sickly because that's just not what a person on vacation should ever look like. And that's it! Everything fitted nicely in a small makeup bag, along with a pair of eyelash curler to perk up my sad, straight lashes without a mascara.

Looking at my 10 wardrobe essentials, I could instantly think of at least five outfits that I can wear on weekends, and also on Casual Fridays at work. For me personally, days like casual Fridays can be a chance for you to be a little bit more creative when it comes to dressing for work, especially if you work a somewhat strict corporate job that has dress codes. You can easily express your style more, and get yourself ready for a Friday night out after work!

If you're new to the work force and trying to find some inspirations and tips on how to dress casually yet professionally, I hope this post could help!

TIP #1

Make sure to pick neutral color, style, and cut. As always, this is my top tip especially if you have a minimalist wardrobe like me. Neutrals will never go wrong and can help you mix and match your wardrobe pieces a lot more easily. It will also "safe for work", since your outfit will never be too loud (if there's such thing).

I personally love monochromatic outfits, but if you love to experiment with colors you can totally do so! Just make sure that your outfit pieces have more of a classic and clean cut.

TIP #2Be sure to keep your office's dress code in mind, even when you're dressing on a Friday. Different work places have different dress codes too, so make sure you know what's go and what's no-go in your office. I've learnt that even if it's casual Fridays, there are still rules to follow.

TIP #3Don't forget to accessorize! This is definitely something that I need to remind myself to do, but it's actually the one that makes minimalist wardrobe looks a lot more interesting and not boring.

Belt your jeans, throw on some statement earrings. I don't think I can get away with wearing hoop earrings at my office, but for you guys working in a more casual job setting might be able to rock them. Oh, and don't forget, a different choice of lip color can also spice up your outfit!

I hope these tips would give you some ideas on what to wear to casual Fridays at work! Remember to always give yourself a chance to express your style, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem! Have a great weekend, loves :)